A control for an electronic device (e.g., a mobile device, a laptop, a car navigation system, a stress sensor, a car audio, an underwater sensor, etc.) may require a particular user input (e.g., a touch, a movement, a sound, etc.) to control a function (e.g., a mute, a voicemail, a volume, a track control, a call disconnect, a speed, a door control, etc.) of an electronic device.
The particular user input may involve a direct contact with a limited area surface (e.g., a button, a touchpad, etc.). The limited area surface may require user to view the limited area surface to interact with it. In addition, the limited area surface may also require a user to extract the electronic device from a container (e.g., a pocket, a wallet, a purse, a protective case, a cover, etc.). These requirements may cause a delay (e.g., a time to extract the device from the container, a time to locate the limited area surface, etc.) and/or may cause a user to decide not to access the device. The delay or the failure to access the device may result in a disturbance (e.g., a phone ring) and/or an undesired result (e.g., a missed call, a transfer to voicemail, a different music track, a distraction, a loss of vehicle control, a missed direction, etc.). The undesired result may further result in an additional delay and/or inefficiency (e.g., an access to voicemail, a u-turn to find a missed location, a repeat of an already heard audio segment, etc.)
The limited area surface may also contain a moving part (e.g., a button mechanism) and/or an unsealed edge (e.g., a crack next to a touchpad edge and/or a button edge). The moving part may allow a foreign substance (e.g., a fluid and/or a dirt) to enter a housing for the electronic device. The foreign substance may accelerate a breakdown of the moving part and/or a component of the electronic device (e.g., a processor, a memory, a hard drive, a speaker, a microphone, etc.). The breakdown of the moving part and/or the component of the electronic device may prevent the electronic device from operating, which may result in a further delay and/or inefficiency (e.g., a repair cost, a replacement cost, etc.).
In addition, the particular user input may involve a sound greater than a threshold volume. By exceeding the threshold volume, the sound may cause a disturbance. The audible sound may also be easily generated by environmental sources, which may cause the electronic device to be controlled in undesired ways (e.g., a call disconnect, a mute, a video end, a power on, a power off, etc.). These undesired effects may also result in a delay and/or inefficiency.